I have always loved seeing the Spotted Towhee, to me a most beautiful bird. So when I saw this one at Delta Ponds this morning I was delighted. It posed for me for a brief time and then was on its way. They don't seem to stay still very long. I have attracted only a very few to our feeders at home. But I enjoy seeing the birds in the wild a lot more anyway.

Information about the Spotted Towhee from "All About Birds" Press here for Link

"The Spotted Towhee is a large, striking sparrow of sun-baked thickets of the West. When you catch sight of one, they’re gleaming black above (females are grayish), spotted and striped with brilliant white. Their warm rufous flanks match the dry leaves they spend their time hopping around in. The birds can be hard to see in the leaf litter, so your best chance for an unobstructed look at this handsome bird may be in the spring, when males climb into the shrub tops to sing their buzzy songs."

"Early in the breeding season, male Spotted Towhees spend their mornings singing their hearts out, trying to attract a mate. Male towhees have been recorded spending 70 percent to 90 percent of their mornings singing. Almost as soon as they attract a mate, their attention shifts to other things, and they spend only about 5 percent of their time singing."